Abstract
Hypertensive emergency and urgency is often termed ‘hypertensive crisis’. However, the terms reflect a spectrum ranging from hypertensive urgency (a spike in blood pressure [BP; >180/110 mmHg] without any target organ damage) to hypertensive emergency where BP is so high that there is imminent threat of target organ damage (e.g., acute cerebrovascular, cardiovascular, ophthalmic, or renal events). A clinical distinction between the two conditions helps with risk stratification in individual patients. Those with hypertensive emergency need hospital admission and initial treatment with parenteral antihypertensive agents, while those with hypertensive urgency can be managed with oral antihypertensives on an outpatient basis. This chapter describes the clinical spectrum of these conditions and treatment choices.
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Nair, T. (2022). Hypertensive Urgency and Emergency: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Considerations. In: Ram, C.V.S., Teo, B.W.J., Wander, G.S. (eds) Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease in Asia. Updates in Hypertension and Cardiovascular Protection. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95734-6_26
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95734-6_26
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